Diablo 4 is set to release in 2023, but will continue to be supported with content for a long time – for example in the form of “seasons.” In a blog post, Blizzard explained how this will work.
Who is speaking? In the major quarterly update on August 18, 2022, several members of the team behind Diablo IV addressed the content that will ensure long-term gameplay enjoyment after the game’s release.
Among other things, the team talked about how the shop is supposed to work. But there is also new information regarding gameplay: The “season” system for Diablo IV has been introduced.
The “seasons” in Diablo IV are said to be inspired by the model in Diablo III, but are designed to be more comprehensive: “The scale for seasons in Diablo IV is much more ambitious than it was in Diablo III and a large developer team will be dedicated to seasons after the release,” said Kegan Clark, the Director of Product for Diablo IV: “For many years, an army of developers will take care of Diablo IV.”
But what exactly will this “army” be working on?
What will the seasons bring in Diablo IV?
How often will new seasons come? Joe Piepiora, the Associate Game Director of Diablo IV, explained that quarterly season updates are planned. This means the game will get four new seasons per year over several years, with the first set to start “shortly after launch.” A dedicated team has been formed for this purpose.
What happens in a season? For each season, you will need to create new heroes to explore the fresh content. Characters from previous seasons will be moved into the “Eternal Realm,” where you can continue to play with them.
We find it best when you can start from scratch in a season, choose a class, adjust your build, and seek out items tailored to it on your journey. This gives us several advantages, primarily the ability to shuffle the maps for Diablo IV with each season and create unique experiences in each of our quarterly releases.
Joe Piepiora, Associate Game Director (via Blizzard)
These new contents are expected to significantly change the game. There will always be a “new gameplay feature” as well as a new quest line. How this will look concretely has not yet been explained by the developers.
But you should always be able to discover new twists and turns in the story of Sanctuary: “This gives us the opportunity to introduce new characters or revive old ones while revealing the story and content of the season.”
Additionally, Piepiora explains that there will be regular adjustments to the meta as well as improvements to the gameplay of Diablo IV: “A good example of this is the balance between classes, builds, and powers. In Diablo, it’s about creating exciting, overpowered builds. We don’t want our pursuit of balance to ruin your fun, but we also want to avoid situations where poor tuning destroys creativity.”
This means: Diablo IV does not want you to play with the same build for years, but aims to continuously challenge you. To this end, new legendary items as well as Paragon boards and glyphs will be added regularly.
In addition, each season is expected to bring improvements based on player feedback. The community should be able to vote on the priority of which features will come to the game when.
Furthermore, regular live events will become a theme that you may encounter in Sanctuary: “An example of a live event could be a warning that an invasion of the drowned is imminent, which might last a weekend, or the arrival of a strange peddler among the rocks of the Dry Steppes,” said Piepiora: “These events form the portal to new adventures and unique rewards.”
In addition, there will be the “season journey.”
What is the “season journey”? The season journey returns as a feature to Diablo IV and presents a challenging task across several chapters. These are intended to challenge players at the highest level and provide cosmetic rewards. At the end of such a season journey, you will always face a particularly difficult boss. Additionally, it will take you further in the “season pass,” the battle pass variant of Diablo IV.
What do you think of the announcement? Do you believe Diablo IV will be able to captivate you in the long term? What kind of content do you wish for? Let us know in the comments!
By the way, alongside Diablo IV, there is another major ARPG in the pipeline: Path of Exile 2. We wanted to know: What are you looking forward to more?
